Here's our latest newsletter.
Aquí está nuestro última noticiero.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Update 5-15-09 - Blueprints...
So I'm still sifting through all of our pictures to show more of the transformation this building has undergone in its two years of renovations. I'll post another set pronto. But the news from this last week. We are still working through the paperwork, inspections, approvals, etc. As always when we think everything is going according to plan...
We have an architect who is putting together our final drawings for presentation to the various offices requiring them (city, civil defense, public registry, etc). He's started this in November '08, very professional and making sure we have T's crossed and I's dotted.
With the house being older he's had more than he bargained for. Surprise! The previous owners made changes to the house without getting permits. Also the city was re-zoned to another district after the house was built. With small miracles and some time the architect got all of this straightened out.
So last week we thought he would be sending a file of the blueprints to our civil defense adviser to add the safety layer. That's where the adviser also tells us where we need signs, fire extinguishers... you get the idea. Anyway.
So I called to see how it was going and find out that the day before he was going to send the file the architect got mugged. Fortunately he was alright and didn't suffer any harm. But they stole his laptop, cell phone, and digital camera. And no he didn't have a backup file. So he's had to reconstruct the autocad blueprints from the paper copies he had and add the other details from memory. I feel badly for him and for us. Another unexpected setback. He said he should be able to get it re-done and sent by tomorrow.
On a positive note, our two electrical grounding rods passed inspection. I didn't think they would knowing the quality of labor of our ex-engineer's workers. (The rods were upside down and the boxes sunk and had to be re-positioned) But electrically the rods do the job and got a thumbs up. Yay!
Just as a footnote. I should have mentioned this last June but my thoughts were overloaded with a new baby. The engineer who installed the water, sewer, electrical was let go along with his men for lack of quality in labor and poor supervision. Among numerous other things the standard for electrical cable colors was not followed and in fact some of the colors change randomly. :) Also each bathroom has had multiple leaks which Eric Opland faithfully hunted down and fixed. (Thanks Eric)
I look forward to the day when all of this construction is over and we are finally open and can relax as we enjoy the peace and quiet of caring for a million babies. :)
We have an architect who is putting together our final drawings for presentation to the various offices requiring them (city, civil defense, public registry, etc). He's started this in November '08, very professional and making sure we have T's crossed and I's dotted.
With the house being older he's had more than he bargained for. Surprise! The previous owners made changes to the house without getting permits. Also the city was re-zoned to another district after the house was built. With small miracles and some time the architect got all of this straightened out.
So last week we thought he would be sending a file of the blueprints to our civil defense adviser to add the safety layer. That's where the adviser also tells us where we need signs, fire extinguishers... you get the idea. Anyway.
So I called to see how it was going and find out that the day before he was going to send the file the architect got mugged. Fortunately he was alright and didn't suffer any harm. But they stole his laptop, cell phone, and digital camera. And no he didn't have a backup file. So he's had to reconstruct the autocad blueprints from the paper copies he had and add the other details from memory. I feel badly for him and for us. Another unexpected setback. He said he should be able to get it re-done and sent by tomorrow.
On a positive note, our two electrical grounding rods passed inspection. I didn't think they would knowing the quality of labor of our ex-engineer's workers. (The rods were upside down and the boxes sunk and had to be re-positioned) But electrically the rods do the job and got a thumbs up. Yay!
Just as a footnote. I should have mentioned this last June but my thoughts were overloaded with a new baby. The engineer who installed the water, sewer, electrical was let go along with his men for lack of quality in labor and poor supervision. Among numerous other things the standard for electrical cable colors was not followed and in fact some of the colors change randomly. :) Also each bathroom has had multiple leaks which Eric Opland faithfully hunted down and fixed. (Thanks Eric)
I look forward to the day when all of this construction is over and we are finally open and can relax as we enjoy the peace and quiet of caring for a million babies. :)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Update 4-19-09 Then and Now part 1
Well it's well past time for another post on this blog. Although this blog has been silent for a long time we're still here. Our personal blog www.eatonsinperu.blogspot.com has been kept up much better and includes many details of the orphanage as well. Needless to say my wife will take over most of the posting once the kids arrive. And speaking of kids, things are closer than ever. We've been slowly but steadily plugging away at this project and are finally starting building inspections. This means that we could conceivably be receiving children by this summer if not before. Please pray for this as we've already worked through many snags and speed bumps in the paperwork process and anything is possible.
It would be impossible for me to try to squeeze all of the events of the past 10 months into one post so I won't try. Instead I'm going to try to use some pictures to show the changes each area of the house has undergone in this looong process. This will take several posts to do. Tonight I'll start with the kitchen.
It would be impossible for me to try to squeeze all of the events of the past 10 months into one post so I won't try. Instead I'm going to try to use some pictures to show the changes each area of the house has undergone in this looong process. This will take several posts to do. Tonight I'll start with the kitchen.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Update 6-1-08
Greetings from Florida. This post is being written during the most productive time of my day... 2am. Yes when there are little ones around it's easy to see why it's so hard to get anything done other than play with them. Don't get me wrong. Most of the time one just can't resist the fun.
The Eatons are pleased to annouce the birth of their second daughter born on May 27th 2008. Mom and baby are doing well. Older sister is also doing well and enjoys holding her little sister a lot.
Work on the orphanage is moving right along. The sewer system is all connected and working, which means that we can now use the new bathrooms and kitchen. The cistern has all of it's pumps installed and is almost ready to fill, with one or two minor valve adjustments. So right now we have hot and cold water in the house. We also have power (the lights turn on and we can plug things in) but there seems to be a few more things to troubleshoot with the electrical panels before they are working well. Not bad considering that this is a 3-phase 220v/110v system. It's not an easy system to set up but once it's fully up it pays for itself in lower power consumption. And with the number of visitors with 110v stuff, the dual voltage should help cut down on the number of fried electronics. So the house systems installations are 90% complete.
This month the Opland family moved to Peru from Idaho and are watching over things at the orphanage while the Eatons are away. Please keep them in prayer. They are living on-site in the back area with their children which takes a good deal of adaptability and patience. The kids are enjoying themselves helping Dad with his many projects. Their main focus right now is doing the finish work inside the house. Drywalling, patching, painting.
Eric Opland has also been busy repairing a few of the new installations, such as a busted water pipe above the kitchen, a misswired hot water heater, and many other surprises. We are blessed by their many skills but even more by their hearts to leave the comforts of home and serve with us.
We are also blessed to have Hugo serving with us. He rides the bus for almost 5 hours round-trip each day, arriving early to open and then goes to classes in the evenings. He has now been volunteering with us for almost a year continuing faithfully to be on-site available for any needs. Pray for him as he continues toward completion of his studies at the Bible College.
The Eatons are pleased to annouce the birth of their second daughter born on May 27th 2008. Mom and baby are doing well. Older sister is also doing well and enjoys holding her little sister a lot.
Work on the orphanage is moving right along. The sewer system is all connected and working, which means that we can now use the new bathrooms and kitchen. The cistern has all of it's pumps installed and is almost ready to fill, with one or two minor valve adjustments. So right now we have hot and cold water in the house. We also have power (the lights turn on and we can plug things in) but there seems to be a few more things to troubleshoot with the electrical panels before they are working well. Not bad considering that this is a 3-phase 220v/110v system. It's not an easy system to set up but once it's fully up it pays for itself in lower power consumption. And with the number of visitors with 110v stuff, the dual voltage should help cut down on the number of fried electronics. So the house systems installations are 90% complete.
This month the Opland family moved to Peru from Idaho and are watching over things at the orphanage while the Eatons are away. Please keep them in prayer. They are living on-site in the back area with their children which takes a good deal of adaptability and patience. The kids are enjoying themselves helping Dad with his many projects. Their main focus right now is doing the finish work inside the house. Drywalling, patching, painting.
Eric Opland has also been busy repairing a few of the new installations, such as a busted water pipe above the kitchen, a misswired hot water heater, and many other surprises. We are blessed by their many skills but even more by their hearts to leave the comforts of home and serve with us.
We are also blessed to have Hugo serving with us. He rides the bus for almost 5 hours round-trip each day, arriving early to open and then goes to classes in the evenings. He has now been volunteering with us for almost a year continuing faithfully to be on-site available for any needs. Pray for him as he continues toward completion of his studies at the Bible College.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Update 5-01-08
While work continues on the building, the Eatons were largely absent for the first two weeks That's because we were getting things ready to go to Florida for Sarah's last month before giving birth to baby #2. Justin got back from dropping them off and started working like a man needing to keep his mind off missing his family. Work, work, and more work.
There were many advancements this month. Almost all of the doors are now hung as well as windows (without glass). We're also getting started with bathroom cabinets. A bit of work was done in the attic such as a rough floor. So we can store important or expensive tools there when not in use.
The electrical installations are done and power is on in the mains. Now it's a matter of troubleshooting installation errors and hooking up pumps, water heaters, appliances, etc. We have both 220V and 110V thanks to a transformer we picked up from Wycliffe.
But of course with all of the work on the house one thing that can't be ignored is the need for plantcare. It's relaxing to cut the lawn, trim bushes, prune trees, fertilize, spray for bugs, and water. Note to self, don't water at sundown in shorts... yeah... anyway...
Sarah should be giving birth in a few weeks.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Update 4-01-08
I don't have much experience with cement which makes it hard to tell if someone I hire knows what they are doing. So it was a huge weight off of me when some friends from church volunteered their time and expertise to come and do some of the cement work. We spent two days working on the outside and they will come again when they have another block of free time.
Besides being a fun work time and having them teach me some new skills I am very blessed by their hearts for ministry. Most Peruvians have to work 6 days a week to make ends meet (Some work 7). So this means a lot to have local help and we will continue to encourage it as much as possible.
The carpenters have been plugging away. Most of the frames have been installed and right now they are working on the doors.
On a personal note, the Eatons are blessed to finally have their new car. We're grateful to the Bible College for allowing us to borrow a vehicule for so long. And now we are enjoying our own wheels. Sarah, who is 7 months pregnant, is especially enjoying the air conditioning.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Update 3-15-08
Among other good things going on in the construction, there are always some setbacks and surprises.
On Monday morning 3-10 I was surprised to find a small lake in the back walkway. Apparently on Sunday morning the water pressure burst a joint on a temporary shut off valve for the bathroom. It didn't pop out completely but just enough to make it spray water on the wall along the back rooms all day long. For those who don't know adobe walls don't do so well with water. They soaked all the way through. So the only thing left to do was peel off the plaster and wait for the bricks to dry.
We were fortunate because nothing collapsed and it didn't spray on the electrical box on the other wall. So the Lord was protecting us even in the midst of a minor setback. It also gave us a peek at the walls to help us with deciding whether to keep or replace those rooms down the road. So things are cleaned up now and we'll put repairing the walls on the to do list.
On Monday morning 3-10 I was surprised to find a small lake in the back walkway. Apparently on Sunday morning the water pressure burst a joint on a temporary shut off valve for the bathroom. It didn't pop out completely but just enough to make it spray water on the wall along the back rooms all day long. For those who don't know adobe walls don't do so well with water. They soaked all the way through. So the only thing left to do was peel off the plaster and wait for the bricks to dry.
We were fortunate because nothing collapsed and it didn't spray on the electrical box on the other wall. So the Lord was protecting us even in the midst of a minor setback. It also gave us a peek at the walls to help us with deciding whether to keep or replace those rooms down the road. So things are cleaned up now and we'll put repairing the walls on the to do list.
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